All posts for the month March, 2012

One of my favorite parts of watching the NCAA Tournament is the ability to tune into action going on across the country at one time. Now that there are four networks that stagger the starts of the games a bit, there is not the same simultaneous madness there had been in years past.

While the staggered starts actually work to the advantage of the fan because of the loss of cut-ins and the viewer now gaining the choice of what to watch, the madness has been cut down because of the uniform courts in each arena where the tournament is taking place.

For the past few years, the NCAA Tournament court has become a very bland and boring design.

Basketball courts are all inherently the same. They have to be the same distance, the 3-point line is the same, there’s not much room for creativity. However, the NCAA has taken out all the character of the courts with their uniform design.

It makes for a more confusing viewing experience over the first two rounds. When switching from game to game, the viewer loses track of what exactly they are watching because the courts and arenas for that matter have lost all their distinguishing features.

The NCAA strives to make the various hosts arenas into typical gyms with no distinguishing features when the tournament comes to town. It makes it seem very sad and semi-tyrannical. Part of the fun of the tournament for me is seeing all the different arenas and now stadiums across the country.

As things move on to the Final Four eventually, we will see a different logo in the middle of the court at the Superdome, but besides that, get ready for more of the same when watching games.

Baylor forward Quincy Acy looked like someone took a giant highlighter to his uniform for Thursday's game against Kansas State. Photo by Getty Images

Adidas decided to add a little more madness this March.

Starting with the conference tournaments and on through the NCAAs, three teams will look like they belong among black lights and glow sticks rather than the basketball court.

Louisville, Cincinnati and Baylor all debuted neon uniforms made by Adidas during their conference tournaments this week. While all three are pretty stunning to the eye, Louisville and Cincinnati come nowhere close to the stunning uniforms Baylor used Thursday against Kansas State.

The Bears started causing a stir in the uniform world during football season, but nothing compares to the highlighter uniforms that stunned the crowd in Kansas City.

Louisville had the least noticeable neon in a victory over Seton Hall Wednesday night. The lettering on the uniform was the biggest shock. Cincinnati turned some heads with its bright red shoes and loud piping in a Big East quarterfinal against Georgetown.

Overall, the uniforms aren’t the worst things in the world, and it’s good to see a bit of a stir caused from the college basketball world.

Ian Poulter has found a way to shine on the golf course without winning a major yet in his career.

With a little more research at the prompting of some of my co-workers, there’s in fact a few more golfers who have made a splash on the golf course, and not with the the one-stroke penalty.

Back in the day, a fellow named Doug Sanders was known as the “Peacock of the Fairways” for his eccentric wardrobe. Sanders played primarily in the 60s and 70s, and used some of the same loud colors Rickie Fowler uses on the golf course.

Overall, Sanders’ dress wasn’t as eccentric as some of the modern golfers, like Fowler, who have decided to shake things up. There are two players from the 90s and 2000s who immediately come to mind.

Jesper Parnevik, who might now be known as the guy who introduced Tiger Woods to his ex-wife, always wore his hat in a most interesting fashion. I never understood why the Swede decided to flip up the bill on his hat, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of a hat by letting the sun in his eyes.

Parnevik also wore some nice neon colors on his sweaters and pants while out on the course, however, he never really got the following that others have seen since he wasn’t exactly a star on the PGA Tour.

Iam Poulter has also gotten his name out there with more than just his golf game in recent years. The English golfer, who was also one of the first athletes to take to Twitter, has shown his national pride (among other tributes) with the patterns on his pants.

Poulter has the personality to go along with his eccentric dress, making him one of the most popular golfers worldwide. Just ask his 1,247,310 followers on Twitter.

Rickie Fowler has made a splash in the golf world with colors similar to water. Photo by The State Press

So now that we have moved on from football, baseball is starting to come into focus, the NCAA Tournament is on the horizon and the NBA is moving along at a fever pace this season, I have to find something to get back in the blogging mood with a short entry here.

For that, I’ll turn to an unlikely source … the golf course.

It’s not often you see a golfer make much noise in the sports fashion world, outside of when John Daly is feeling like he needs to cause a bit of a stir. But in recent years, Rickie Fowler has come along with some vibrant colors to add some spice to the typical round of golf.

With his signature bright orange as the primary color on Sundays, Fowler has been able to establish his name through his interesting color selection and ever-improving golf game.

One thing to really like about Fowler is his color coordination out on the gold course. If he isn’t wearing one solid color from head-to-toe, he can find the right accents to bring out whatever vibrant color he is going with that round.

Maybe it’s the surfer-dude haircut, but Fowler is able to pull off a look like would make Phil Mickelson look like a giant orange. The 23-year-old Fowler’s also become one of my favorite golfers to watch on the tour because of the different attitude and look he brings to the golf course.